I adore this time of the year! The weeks before Christmas have a special feel of their own and I just can’t wait to go hunting for presents for the whole family. When time is precious and the crowds fill the stores, what better way than to shop from the comfort of your own home by browsing the web. There is a wealth of Christmas presents on the Internet, with many sites offering good deals. We must remember that there are still birthdays to be celebrated at this time of year and other special occasions and I have made a selection offering ideas for all sorts of gifts. But also for other occasions I have found a lot of ideas for nice gifts. I have made a small selection to give you an idea:

Your name is a gift
My young kids love puzzles. A great personalized gift for a kid is a puzzle with their name. I have already given these to my kids and their friends so I know they are a big hit. People love to see their names on presents. In my father’s family it is a tradition to give a silver soup spoon to the newborn babies with their names engraved on it. We used to hang them in the kitchen and visitors would always comment on how special such a gift is.

Put your gifts in a basket
Gift baskets are very popular. There are simply tons of websites where you can choose gift baskets for any occasion, from birthdays and baby showers to wedding anniversaries and job promotions. It is an ideal way to present various little gifts and most people like to unpack several small presents. While gift baskets make wonderful presents, they can be very expensive and tend not to be very personal. That’s why I enjoy putting together my own custom gift baskets for friends and family. And, of course, I shop online to find the gifts to fill my basket.

Unique gifts are a treasure
My wife always keeps a box full of unique gifts she finds on the web in a special box. She orders these gifts from all over the world and when it is somebody’s birthday or wedding anniversary she will remember the special treasure box and will get one of her special gifts out. Sometimes it is a piece of nice jewelry, all the way from India, or a present for a child which isn’t available where we live. The Internet gives you access to all sorts of unusual and, often, hand-made presents.

If you are using rechargeable batteries then you will need a good quality battery charger to replace the power that is used. Using rechargeable batteries is a great way to keep your costs down. They can be recharged for hundreds of times and will pay for the extra costs of buying it many times over. Buying batteries these days is very expensive and amount of things that we need them for seems to be increasing. If you just buy disposable batteries then it is not only expensive but is also very inconvenient.

If you have to buy a separate charger then you need to make sure that you are buying the right one. You need to make sure that the batteries that you are using are the same voltage as the charger. But other than the basics there are a great many different yes of chargers on the market. A standard charger will just keep on charging the battery until you turn it off. This means that it is very important to remember to turn it off when the battery is charged up or it might damage the battery.

If you pay a bit more for your battery charger you can get a charger that will turn itself off when the battery is fully charged up. This means that there is no possibility of it damaging the battery. if you are able to afford this type of charger then it is well worth paying for it. it is also possible to get a battery change that is worked by a timer so that it will switch off after is has been on for a particular amount of time.

If you are using a piece of computer equipment such as a cordless mouse then it might be possible to recharge it from the USB port of the computer. If you need to recharge batteries quickly then you might be able to buy a fast charger. These can be a lot faster than that standard charger. There are a lot of different battery chargers to choose from but you need to make sure that the one that you get is right for the batteries that you are using.

Our generation will forever remember the barrage of ads that made you make the ultimate choice … Coke or Pepsi? That was a choice that you were forced to make between two industry giants with a blindfold on so you couldn’t have an unfair advantage in your choice. The battle between Microsoft Zune and iPod Video for the best MP3 player on the market isn’t one that you can decide with a blindfold on, but it is one that will cause a lifetime of allegiance. There is no wishy-washy, back and forth mood swings with the choice you are about to make here, just read the following facts and decide if you are going to side with the iPod or the Zune.

• The first thing for you to consider when you are deciding between the Microsoft Zune and iPod Video is that this version of the iPod is the fifth generation for Apple’s famed video player. What does this mean to you? Obviously, Microsoft could have learned from Apple’s mistakes, but most of the time you have to learn from your own in this area. Based on trial and error success, iPod would be the more polished product at this point.
• If you are unsure of what size hard drive you need in your MP3 player then you may need to go with the Zune because the choice is easy, it only comes in the 30GB model. With iPod you will have choices galore from the single GB models all the way up to the massive 80GB monsters. This category is purely based on your desire, how much space do you need?
• Both digital music players chime in with around 14 hours of battery life on a full charge, with approximately four hours needed to charge to full life. You could go with a quick two hour charge, however, and get around 80% of the life of the battery in short time.
• One of the most difficult things to master with your new digital music player is the navigation device. iPod is famous for its wheel that allows you to cycle through your library by moving your hand in a circular motion. With the Zune you will have a circle that clicks in every direction for certain tasks, but the fast forward and play buttons are separate.

Dyson DC14 HEPA Animal Vacuum

SKU: DC14-Animal

The first vacuum cleaner that doesn't lose suction. Others clog and lose suction. Dyson suction stays constant. Instant stair and high reach cleaning. Wand releases and expands 17 feet at the touch of a button.

The new Animal turbo tool, for effective pet hair removal in confined spaces such as upholstery, stairs and in the car. It also has a carpet care kit to absorb dirt, freshen carpets and remove spots and spills.

Our Review:

We received our DC14 Animal vacuum over a year ago and were excited to run it through our house to see how much pet hair we could actually get rid of! (we have a Pomeranian dog, they shed heavily):

Dyson had to file a lawsuit against Hoover years ago for patent infringement, and now I can see why. This vacuum sucks!! And that's a good thing! The center of gravity on the DC14 model vacuum from Dyson is lower and a little easier to control than the earlier DC07 models. Dyson has also installed a MUCH larger HEPA filter on this vacuum then on the previous DC07 models as well...you'll like how the air smells after vacuuming.

The clear canister is very nice and allows you to see exactly how much dirt, sand and other unidentifiable objects you are sucking out of your carpets everyday! I was very interested in the animal turbo tool that was included with this vacuum. It did what it said it would do, remove pet hair. You have to “learn” how to use the turbo tool however, as it isn’t a motorized tool, but is powered by the air suction power of the vacuum itself. If you press the turbo tool too hard against your couch or other surface, the small beater bar inside the tool will stop suddenly. You have to simply “skim” the tool across surfaces you wish to clean. One major complaint I have that Dyson could easily remedy, was the fact that the turbo tool only fastens to the end of the hose by pushing it on. The tool came off half a dozen times while I was vacuuming, and I had to actually hold onto the tool and the hose with one hand to prevent the tool from becoming dislodged while I was vacuuming. This would be a very easy fix for Dyson, all they need to do is engineer the turbo tool so that is “clicks” into place, and is released by pressing a button.

The Dyson DC14 Animal Vacuum can go from carpets to hard floors easily by pushing a lever with your foot on top of the base of the unit. This disengages the beater bar of the vacuum so that you just have strong suction for picking up dirt on your hard surfaces. This feature was convenient enough that we found we never used the included hard floor tool.

The large filter on top of the clear canister actually made the air in our rooms smell cleaner…we liked that! Once in a while however, when we pushed the vacuum head as far as it would reach under our couch, it made an incredibly loud and horrible noise that scared our Pomeranian away for half a day and made my 2 year old daughter cry! I believe the belt somehow got jammed briefly when we pushed the unit against the couch, but the vacuum operated fine thereafter. That sound (which may just be a problem with our unit) has been heard again on several occasions since then, when we forget and push the vacuum against the couch with too much gusto! As a result, the dog and children tend to leave the room in haste every time we vacuum!

Gift baskets are an ever-popular gift. Many specialty and gift stores have a selection of beautiful baskets practically overflowing with delectable goodies.

The problem with pre-made gift baskets, though, is that you can't choose what's in them. You might like five out of the seven products, but you end up stuck with the other two items, things the recipient potentially will neither like nor use. So what's the alternative?

Making your own gift basket is easy. You can purchase baskets at a reasonable price at most craft retailers, and there are a wealth of other containers that will do just as nicely. The bigger question is what to put in them.

If you're looking for some creative ideas for gift baskets, why not try one of these:

-- For a movie lover, why not fill up a basket with DVDs (or a gift card to a video rental store), gourmet popping corn, and an assortment of candy.

-- For a couple, fill up a gift basket with scented candles, a bottle of wine (or maybe champagne), a book (or video) on couples massage, and a gift card to a nice restaurant.

-- For someone fun and a little funky, create a gift basket of fun accessories: earrings and scarves, the latest cosmetics, and maybe a gift card to a trendy clothing shop.

-- For a kid, or someone who's young at heart, consider a gift basket filled with funny socks. Socks are no longer just black and white. You can find socks with butterflies, frogs, and funny little sayings.

-- A basket filled with seed packets, terra cotta flowerpots, and a book on flower gardening would make a great gift for your favorite gardener. For added pizzazz, why not put it all in a pretty watering can?

-- There are a million products out there for bird lovers. From binoculars to suet cakes and nesting material, it's easy to fill a basket with things for our feathered friends and those who love them.

-- Fill a basket with your recipient's favorite treats. Whether it's scented soaps, health food, or lollipops, if it's something they love, put it in a basket.

Most of all, don't hesitate to be creative, maybe even a little crazy. Let the recipient's personality guide you, and have fun. There's no better way than a personalized gift basket to show someone how much thought you put into their gift.